#Campaigns: Nando’s #rightmyname

February 13, 2018

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Nando’s, together with its advertising agency M&C Saatchi Abel, has launched the #rightmyname campaign in its quest to continuing contributing to the broader dialogue of South Africa through highlighting typically South African challenges — such as SA names still being spellchecked as errors.

Explains Jake Johnstone, Nando’s Southern Africa advertising and media manager, “We started the campaign to address a challenge within the organisation, where South African names — including Nando’s and PERi-PERi — were highlighted as errors by spellcheck.”

“At Nando’s, we’ve always loved celebrating South Africa’s diversity. So, when we noticed that after more than 30 years, spellcheck still highlights Nando’s as a mistake, it got us thinking. What about other names in South Africa? Names like Nokuthula, Elodie, Darawees and Tebatso. Why are their names highlighted as mistakes too? Not cool,” adds Doug Place, Nando’s Southern Africa CMO.

The campaign has now been taken to the public by inviting all South Africans to go to rightmyname.co.za where they may add their names to a database that will be made available for download on Human Rights Day, 21 March 2018. The list of names may then be used to update users’ computer dictionaries, so that nobody is made to feel like a mistake again.

According to Tshegofatso Phetlhe of M&C Saatchi Abel, the campaign has already attracted the nation’s attention, precisely because it touches on a highly topical issue. She is the art director whose frustration at having her name constantly underlined in red sparked the concept. “It’s something so many people complain about and, finally, someone has taken action,” she says. “This campaign is a great example of the fact that we don’t have to accept things simply because ‘it’s the way it’s always been done’. We need to realise that we have the power to create our own change. And who better to do this than Nando’s, a brand which not only brings fire to everything it does but which, incidentally, is also underlined in red?”

Go to rightmyname.co.za, add your name to the list, and let’s get rid of the red line today.